1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a brake control device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a brake system that can be mounted on an electric bicycle in which human-powered driving is assisted by a motor, and to a bicycle regenerative brake control device for controlling the motor.
2. Background Information
There are known in the art techniques for performing regenerative braking in order to suppress consumption of battery power in power-assisted bicycles in which human-powered driving is assisted by a motor (for example, see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2010-35376). In a conventional regenerative brake device, a brake lever is provided with a sensor for detecting whether or not a lever has been operated. When the brake lever is operated, brake regeneration is performed, and regenerative charging is performed. Typically, a bicycle includes a first (front) brake system having a front brake lever and a second (rear) brake system having a rear brake lever, with a brake switch being arranged on each of the front and rear brake levers for detecting the presence or absence of lever operation. In conventional regenerative brake control devices, the regenerative braking force is smaller when only one of the brake switches is switched on than when both of the brake switches are switched on.